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Sam Manson
Samantha "Sam" Manson is a fictional character from the Nickelodeon animated series Danny Phantom. She is the leading female character and eventual love interest of Danny Fenton/Phantom. Appearance/History One of Danny's best friends, Sam is a self-proclaimed goth (much to her parents' dismay) "I’m a creature of the night, doomed to a family of morning people", Control Freaks and a strict Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian. ; wearing dark clothing and unholding interest in the subliminal and netherworldly, but combines this with an outspoken attitude on vegetarianism, animal rights and environmentalism. Her personality is seemingly less dreary than the stereotypical "goth" persona usually shown. Based on how she conducts herself, it would be fairer to say that she labels herself a goth more as an outlet for her independence and individuality than as an embrace of how the stereotypical goth is presumed to behave-as such, she is often livid over the wider range of popular materials."...Infuriating how mindless prepackaged corporate bubble gum is preventing true musical artists from being heard?", Fanning the Flames She has also openly admitted to being a "cat person" and goes by the name of "Chaos" in the Doomed video game. She is a fan of punk, metal, and techno/electronica music, monster movies--with her favorites being female monsters Femalien, Terminatra, and Nightmerica (all based or parodied on various monster and/or horror films) --and Akira Kurosawa's samurai films. Sam also has a collection of old vinyl punk-rock records from the 70s and 80s. Source: Nickelodeon Magazine She comes from a Jewish background (hinted when her grandmother called her "bubeleh" and eventually revealed in the Christmas special.) Her parents are extremely wealthy, having inherited from the great inventor of the deli toothpick cellophane-twirling device; although she keeps this a secret with only her two best friends knowing; she'd rather earn real friends instead of dealing with the popularity and fake friendships that come with wealth. She has an often strained relationship with her folks due to their optimistic, colorful personality as opposed to her darker outlook on life. Sam's got into her fair share of troubles and adventure (usually as a result from her indiviuality), ranging from being turned into a ghost dragon briefly when wearing the amulet of Aragon when Paulina gave it back to her, thinking it was hers, to accidentally erasing Danny Phantom's existence by unknowingly making a wish Desiree grants to nearly being a bride to Prince Aragon and getting possessed by Undergrowth, a plant ghost, as his 2nd-in-command. She is also responsible for designing Danny's new "DP" emblem which he has kept for the remainder of the series.) She's known Tucker and Danny from since at least the 2nd grade . For the case of her relationship with Danny, throughout the series they have developed crushes on each other, possibly blossoming into love. Their feelings (which neither one was brave enough to admit to for a long time) have sent both of them in emotional circles, as Sam is often left to watch Danny put a move on other girls--particularly Paulina, or at one point when she had a boyfriend herself, leading to awkward situations. The issue was resolved between them during the climax of the series finale, Phantom Planet, when Danny officially gives her the "Wes" ring (placing it on the fourth finger of her left hand, the finger usually reserved for engagement/wedding rings) and tells her that no matter what the future holds, he hopes she'll be there to share it with him. She originally was supposed to have a 'psychic connection' with Danny that would let one know where the other one was; however, this was nixed right before the premiere, since Danny already had ghost powers and Sam had other attributes; Butch Hartman didn't want them to seem too developed already. Butch Hartman Interview, March 30, 2006 http://hometown.aol.com/zcat6/IntBH2006p2.html This connection is hinted at numerous times through out the series when Danny and Sam have the same reaction or response to situations/comments, but is typically brushed off as merely being a case of long time friends thinking alike. Another stronger hint at this original intention of a psychic connection surfaces in the episode Frightmare when Danny and Sam have the same dream about being a couple, down to the extremely out-of-character addition of Danny's red and white Casper High football jacket to Sam's wardrobe. Wardrobe Sam has short black hair with a small ponytail at the top of her head held back by a green hair tie and purple lipstick. Her usual clothing consists of a black choker around her neck while her upper body consists of a black tanktop exposing her midriff with a purple oval in the center. Her lower body consists of a black skirt with a green crosshatch design, purple stockings, and black combat boots. She also has a pair of black bracelets around her wrists. Sam has however been seen in a wide variety of outfits, ranging from a goth style black and purple ball gown to a pink princess dress with hearts and even one of the orange Fenton jumpsuits. At one point, she has fake vampire fangs. Personality/Weakness In spite of her wealthy upbringing by her parents, Sam is not so much spoiled as she is bossy and can sometimes be hypocritical; Sam forces her Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian diet on the entirety of Casper High, despite her claims of individuality, she advises Danny against using his ghost powers for abusing bullies, but in another episode, she suggests that he uses them to scare people away from buying environmentally-threatening trucks. It is clear that she would do anything she could to help him during his numerous battles with his enemies as well as keep him out of trouble and has often been the one out of Danny's two best friends to take whatever risk necessary to save/help Danny,Tucker: Are you crazy? We can't jump! Sam: And I can't leave Danny!, Control Freaks as well as being willing to take the blame for things (like the destruction of the mini-golf course and the start of the food fight, both happening in "Kindred Spirits") to cover for Danny. Out of the three, Sam's also the most rational and mature, often thinking on a realistic level compared to Danny and Tucker as well as pointing out to Danny to focus more on ghost training and hunting. Sam in certain ways is actually the most enthusiastic of the three when it comes to Danny's powers and their poetntial. Many times when Danny expresses his desire to be rid of his powers and have a "normal" teen life, Sam voices her distaste for the idea. In Phantom Planet when Danny voluntarily gives up his powers, she tells him that she's disappointed in his desire to be just like everybody else and tells him that she had been proud to be helping him when he was doing something good but that she refuses to "sit on the sidelines" and doesn't know how he can. Sam also reveals at this time that when Danny was protecting Amity Park, she felt safe knowing that there was someone out there doing the right thing, but with him no longer fighting ghosts, she's not sure what will happen. However expressive she may be though, Sam still harbors her inner most feelings inside, especially her secret crush on Danny which she has trouble revealing (more often than not, this is trouble for her as other girls slowly warm up to him). Toward the end of the series Sam's feelings become more obvious, as evidenced by the fact that Tucker clues in to the fact that she likes Danny before Danny himself realizes it. Romance Both Danny and Sam have constantly denied any romantic attractions with one another throughout the series, although Sam's affection for Danny is quite obvious to most of the other characters on the show, particularly later in the series, often portraying jealousy whenever Danny is with another girl and stuttering to confess her feelings frequently. There is also the fact that Danny is extremely attracted to Paulina (a popular, shallow, but very beautiful girl) who detests him but is in love with his ghostly alter ego. (although later episodes seem to indicate that Danny may slowly be getting over his crush on her). Danny has also built up a friendship and romance with Valerie Gray (who likes the human Danny, but hates his ghost self), though it eventually ended as well. Sam's issue stems from the fact that she is often too shy or afraid to tell Danny her true feelings for reasons of her own. Her only level of intimate interactions with Danny during the series were the two "fake-out make-outs", both to create a distraction and avoid danger (the first planned by Sam while the second by Danny). In both instances, the two seemed to enjoy it, although they later become embarrassed by these intimate moments. Sam at one point fell for a new goth kid named Gregor, who claims he is from Hungary, but later dumps him when he turns out to be a fake (he is actually from Michigan with his actual name as Elliot). It is during this episode that Danny shows many signs of being jealous of "Gregor" and Sam's relationship, and admits that he is unsure of whether or not he likes her as more than a friend. She and Danny continued to exhibit many signs of a romance throughout Season Three, including having the same dream where they both dreamt they were a couple in the "Frightmare" episode. In the series finale they kiss twice (once at the South Pole and once back in Amity Park when Danny gives Sam the infamous "Wes" ring) and officially become a couple. Relationships Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom Throughout the series, Danny considers Sam to be one of his best friends. The two frequently quarrel, but they gradually realize their feelings for each other. By the end of the series finale, they are boyfriend and girlfriend. It is also revealed that Sam has feelings for Danny even before Danny realizes his feelings for her. In "Double Cross My Heart" Sam cringes when Danny asks her if she knows how it feels to like someone she couldn't date. Ironically, Danny asks her this question because he feels that way about his enemy, Valerie Gray. Sam's feelings for Danny stem from her admiration of his good use of his superpowers and his individuality as a fellow high school outcast Tucker Foley Sam also considers Tucker her best friend, but the two are quite opposites (his meat habits as opposed to her vegetarian habits, his lighthearted behavior to her more down-to-earth method) and they often bicker over even the mundane reasons. She also sometimes considers him to be an annoyance, but is shown to still enjoy his company. Even breaking up with Gregor because of how he insulted Tucker behind his back. In the episode "Life Lessons",Tucker and Sam are parents for a flower sack for a school project,Tucker is about to leave and he kissed the flower sack and Sam (uhhh....lets forget that ever happened) Jazz Fenton Sam originally has no relationship with Jazz. Upon Jazz's admittance of her knowledge of Danny's ghost powers, Jazz begins to assist Tucker, Sam, and Danny in capturing the various ghosts which attack Amity Park. Near the end of the series in the episode "Girls Night Out", Sam gains respect for Jazz's ghost-fighting abilities when her plan to rescue Amity Park from Penelope Spectra, Ember McLain, and Kitty is successful. Both of them work together without disagreement in the latter episodes and try to keep Danny's secret from everyone. The Manson Family Sam's relationship with her parents, Jeremy and Pamela Manson, is often strained as they often share different opinions. The parents want a more chirpy, happy daughter, trying to remove her away from her Gothic nature while Sam cannot stand her parents' sunny personalities ("I'm a creature of the night doomed to a family of morning people."). She's often gets annoyed with them whenever they get involved in her life (ironically, something she has a habit of doing as well), but still shows love for them both, concerned when they're in trouble and so forth. While she's not shown often, Sam seems to garner more respect for her grandmother then her parents as she supports all of her granddaughter's individualist decisions, having been a bit of a nonconformist herself in her youth (she shows Sam a picture of herself wearing a dark outfit somewhat similar to Sam's normal attire at one point). In "Urban Jungle" ''When a possesed Sam says that she is the mother of the plants Danny says: "''Mother?!, You don't even like babysitting your cousin!", and so it is shown she has a cousin, but despises babysitting him or her. Elliot First introduced in "Double Cross My Heart", his only appearance in the series, Elliot attempts to impress Sam in order to date her. He disguises himself as a Hungarian foreign exchange student and tells Sam he is a goth and an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian. Danny, suspicious of his claims, follows him and Sam on a date one night using his invisibility power and begins to suspect him of associating with The Guys in White (since he wears all white like they do, even though he states that white is the new black in Hungary). This upsets Sam and she considers actually dating Elliot. However, Elliot accidentally reveals his identity as a womanizing American teen, and Sam loses interest in him. Prince Aragon In "Beauty Marked" Price Aragon wishes to have a human bride, so he sends his sister Dorathea, a.k.a Dora, to find a suitable woman via a beauty pageant. Danny becomes the judge of the pageant and accidentally chooses Sam as the winner. Sam is transported to Aragon's castle where she undergoes training to be his wife and queen. Danny and Tucker eventually rescue her, along with Aragon's sister's help. Undergrowth Undergrowth, a plant ghost, overshadowed Sam and became her "father" once he took over Amity Park. He turned her into his "daughter"/2nd-in-command because of her love towards nature. He went as far as giving her plant-related powers to serve as a new "mother" for Undergrowth's plant children, although she was mind-controlled by him the whole time. Trivia She along with Tucker Foley were in all but one episode of the entire series. Category:Characters